The growth of system connectivity has been one of the major developments in recent years. Fewer and fewer systems are operating as stand-alone boxes, and most of today's systems are increasingly becoming elements of complex networks. This growth in networking allows improved performance and increased flexibility. However, with this growth in system distribution, system security, and protection against unwanted access and/or corruption, has become a major concern for systems owners and/or operators. Many consumers and systems owners and/or operators may be vulnerable to unwanted access when the level of security provided within the system is insufficient for providing the appropriate protection. In that regard, many deployed systems, may incorporate the use of architectures that enable and improve security management in order to provide the necessary protection from unwanted access. Furthermore, in such deployed systems, various possible applications may be running on these systems. Typically these applications may correlate with application-specific security codes that perform security operations necessary to enhance the security and protection of the applications and/or the systems
Operators of deployed system may need to perform remote security code reprogramming. At times, operators of deployed systems may need to make changes, modifications, and/or updates in such deployed systems. For example, in cable or satellite systems, a system operator at a head-end may be required to remotely modify code that may reside on set-top boxes which may be located in, for example, subscribers' homes. These types of changes, modifications, and/or updates in these systems may further require changes to security codes in order to facilitate these changes, modifications, and/or updates. Once changes are made in deployed systems, a system boot is typically necessary to effectuate these types of changes, modifications, and/or updates.
Such security code reprogramming, while necessary, it may itself pose a security risk to the deployed systems. During security code reprogramming, the security code presenting running on the deployed system may be replaced with a new code that is downloaded from the network. Consequently, a reliable and functioning security code may be replaced with new code that may not be as reliable and/or secure. While the new security codes can be validated, such validation may not take place until after a system boot that may be necessary to effectuate the change of security codes—i.e., the validation of such new security codes may not take place until the system is booted using these new security codes. This may raise a potential security risk; wherein the system may be unable to validate the new security code until after a system reboot; however, by the time the system may be able to validate the changes, any possible danger posed by the new security code would have already taken place and/or the working old security code may be lost.
In addition to potential problems caused by the nature of the security code download itself, there may be other concerns related to security code reprogramming. For example, in today's world, a lot of deployed systems may incorporate various components and/or applications that are provided by third party vendors. Those vendors who may be business competitors of the deployed systems operators and/or owners, and subsequently the third party vendors may not desire allowing full access and use of their products.
In addition to issues relating to deliberate breach of security and/or desire to prevent full access to all components of the system; other factors may further impact security code reprogramming, which may cause the corruption of an otherwise valid new security code during the downloading procedure. For example power spikes or outages in the midst of new security code download may corrupt such new security codes. A compromised and/or corrupted new security code may prevent a deployed system from coming back online after security code reprogramming operation.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.